As an avid reader, I am drawn to stories that ignite the imagination and leave space for readers’ involvement. I believe this approach can be transferred to the visual medium. My intention was to tell a story through photographs that are visually appealing, timeless, and relatable, touching on themes of dreams, hopes, and the pursuit of something elusive, like happiness or the meaning of life. Similar to the protagonist in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, Harold embarks on the journey of his life, and it is the journey itself that creates the meaning and sense of his endeavors.

Every adventure starts when you are sitting in your cozy armchair and dreaming big. The Japanese proverb says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear,” and I truly believe it’s never too late to take the first step with a curious heart and eyes wide open.

I invited to the project a guy who, in my view, fit my preconception of how the hero of the story should look. After the test photoshoot, I was convinced he was the person I wanted to work with to bring Harold’s adventure to life. As I learned later, Louis wasn’t a professional model, only modeling in his spare time just for fun and simply because he enjoys it. Why do I mention this? It happens that Louis was a cancer survivor. Once recovered, he decided to make the best out of his life and do things he loved to do, for the simple reason of feeling alive and not wasting precious days he had learned to treasure.

Our project took us to cliffs on a rainy, cold day, making the shoot quite difficult. Upon arriving just after sunrise (what sunrise? The sky was covered by heavy clouds), we were welcomed by an empty parking lot and a light drizzle—nothing to be anxious about. As we walked toward the cliff, it soon became obvious that the conditions might become more challenging than expected. In many sections, the footpath was flooded, and despite great efforts to avoid large puddles, Louis’s feet soon got soaked to the bone. Then came a demanding climb up the cliff with heavy suitcases and photo equipment. Persistent rain and torrents of slippery white mud made the climb quite difficult at times. At the top of the hill, Louis changed clothes, exposed to the drizzle and cold wind. Then, slashed by the freezing wind, he danced with an umbrella at the edge of the cliff. His commitment reached another level when we got back to the beach and took some photos of him submerged in the cold water. At this point, the rain and wind became so heavy that I couldn’t properly see what I was shooting. It was a dreadful experience. Three hours later, on our way back to the car, I looked at the drenched, shivering Louis and heard him say with a smile, “It was a day worth living.”

Now I know it’s never too late to take the first step in embarking on a journey, and it’s never too late to start a new chapter in your life, doing things you love.

The series has been inspired by René Magritte’s paintings and vintage 19th-century photographs. All images have been set in a particular order to tell the story as a sequence of events. If you are curious about how the story unfolds, please visit my website.

‘The Letter - Harold’s Journey’ is available on the website.